Driver ID’d in Riverwatch wrong-way crash that injured trooper

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – A 24-year-old has been identified on Tuesday as the other driver involved in the wrong-way crash on Riverwatch Parkway that injured a Georgia State Patrol trooper.

William Hawkins, 24, of Augusta, was confirmed to be the driver of the Toyota 4Runner involved in the crash on Friday night, according to GSP information officer, Joshua.

He says that Hawkins condition is unknown as of Tuesday morning, officials say.

The trooper, identified as Trooper First Class 1 Zachary Walker, is stable and has a “long road to recovery,” a GSP public information officer says.

According to GSP, at 11:09 p.m. Walker was driving traveling east on Riverwatch Parkway near mile marker 3.5 when he was hit head-on by a Toyota 4Runner that was traveling in the wrong direction.

Witnesses described what it was like to see the driver going the wrong way.

It was too close of a call for some.

“I play the thing over and over in my head every day. Because it’s like we could have been gone,” said Cheryl Hall.

One minute she was driving down Riverwatch Parkway, and then the next she says headlights were in front of her coming from the wrong way.

“When I was getting close to the curb, I noticed some lights and car lights. And I’m like, those lights look awfully close. And soon as we hit the curb was going around the curb. The car was flying around. So I was able to pull up onto that shoulder real quick. And I’m honking my horn at same time. Like they not even putting on breaks. My heart sank. And I was just shaking and stuff. And she was shaking, too,” she said.

Just minutes before the accident Mitchell Barton also saw a car driving down Riverwatch going the wrong way.

“I had to do a double take, I looked over and look back again. I was like, Man, that guy is on the wrong side of the road,” said Mitchell Barton.

Hall said: “Oh my god, that’s all I could say. And once we got home, I was like, we could have died tonight because as fast as he was going, I’m pretty sure it would have been tragic for us.”

Officials say Walker was seriously injured and had to be extracted from the vehicle.

Walker and Hawkins were taken to Wellstar MCG hospital, authorities say.

GSP says this is an active investigation.

Walker was a Richmond County deputy before resigning in May of 2019, then starting at the Georgia State Patrol that same month and year.

He’s had some recent training about traffic accident management and pursuits, according to records with the Georgia Peace Officer Standards and Training Council.

He is listed as being in good standing with no sanctions or investigations.

A recent post by the Georgia Department of Public Safety noted that he is set for promotion to corporal.

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